United: What’s happening with Martial?

The young Frenchman was one of the few success stories of Louis van Gaal’s time in charge, finishing as United’s leading scorer in the Dutchman’s second and final season.


However, Martial was marginalised from the moment Ibrahimovic walked into Old Trafford last summer. He lost his iconic No 9 jersey to the Swede and was shunted out to the flanks by Mourinho who made no secret of his frustration at the player’s attitude.

As a result, Martial endured a stop-start season and never really got into full flow. It was perhaps no surprise to hear his agent mention a loan move to Sevilla in January, and now talk has emerged of Arsenal bidding for him if they fail to sign Kylian Mbappe from his old club Monaco.

There is no appetite at United to sell Martial, who became the world’s most expensive teenager when he was signed for a fee of £36m, rising to a possible £58m, two years ago and he remains popular among supporters.

But clearly there is tension between Mourinho and Martial, and that is something that needs to be resolved or the speculation will not go away.